Haunted
by EldritchSandwich
Summary: Change of Heart Series 3. The Gang are having strange dreams. And they're not the only ones…


Sissi awoke with a shudder, breath shallow as sweat beaded on her face. It had only been three days since the Gang had trapped Xana's program in Lyoko's Core, and every night her nightmares had grown steadily worse. With a groan and a shake of her groggy head, Sissi slipped on a fluffy pink robe and padded out of her room, down the hall toward Jeremie's. She was almost certain he would be awake—since they had scored a major victory against Xana, Jeremie had redoubled his efforts to loosen the virus' grip on Aelita. The copious time he was spending on the program could easily be seen when, yesterday, he had nodded off in math class—an activity previously reserved for Odd.

Preparing to knock on Jeremie's door, Sissi placed her hand on the handle and found that it was unlocked. Peering into the dim glow of Jeremie's monitor, Sissi saw him tapping at the keyboard, Odd and Ulrich lying on the floor playing cards. All three looked towards the door as she entered.

"Let me guess," Odd grunted, straightening himself up, "nightmares?"

Sissi sighed, seating herself on the edge of Jeremie's bed. "You guys too?"

Ulrich nodded. "Yumi too. Jeremie got a call from her about ten minutes ago."

Jeremie returned to his work on removing the virus connecting Xana to Aelita. "It sure does seem weird. All of us having such strong nightmares at the same time, I mean."

Odd gathered up the discarded cards and placed them back in their pack. "You mean Xana weird?"

"I'm not sure. Aelita hasn't noticed any pulsations yet, and I can't really imagine that Xana would reactivate so soon after expending so much energy to leave the Core. Still, we shouldn't rule out the possibility."

Sissi turned to Odd. "What was yours about?"

"My nightmare? It was really strange. I'm in Lyoko, standing in front of a Tower. I look up at it, and it starts glowing, the way they do when Xana infects one. Then I turn around, and Aelita's standing in front of me. I tell her to watch out, but she gets attacked from behind. When I run forward to help her, I see who attacked her, and its...me. I'm there, staring at...myself, and then the other me smiles and attacks me. Then I wake up. That's not normal, right?" Odd shifted nervously in his seat on the edge of the bed. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ulrich's eyes narrowed. "Odd...I had the same dream."

Sissi moved closer to the boys. "Me too!"

Jeremie shook his head, returning his attention to the computer. "This is insane—it has to be Xana."

Sissi picked herself up, moving over to the computer. "Are you sure? You said it yourself, he expended a lot of energy trying to break into our world."

"Yeah," Ulrich groaned, "maybe we're all just going crazy."

"No, it has to be him. Dreams, like everything we experience, are just electrical impulses transmitted by our brains. We wouldn't all be having the same nightmare unless something was transmitting the same signal to all our brains. This can't just be a coincidence—I'll scan Lyoko for an activated Tower."

Ulrich flopped onto his back. "That's just great, Einstein, but what do we do while you look for Towers?"

Odd returned to the floor, alreadly shuffling the deck. "How about Crazy Eights?"

"Very funny."

"So, what do you think it is? Xana?" Yumi asked, leaning back against one of the courtyard's sturdy oaks.

"I don't know," Ulrich dismissed, slouching back on the bench he shared with Odd, "Jeremie seems to think so, but I don't understand what Xana could have to gain."

Odd leaped up, as if the last few nights' lack of sleep had not affected him in the least. "Yeah, wearing us down with insomnia doesn't seem very practical."

Yumi shook her head, startled. "How can you have that much energy? Not even you could be invincible to seventy-two hours without sleep."

Odd smiled. "Just lucky, I guess!"

"Hey, you guys! You guys!" The group looked toward the school building to find Sissi running toward them, a panicked look on her face.

"Sissi? What is it?" Ulrich asked, his forehead wrinkling.

Panting, Sissi leaned against the edge of the bench. "Ulrich, remember how you said we might all be going crazy? I think it's time to seriously consider that."

Yumi stepped forward, helping Sissi lean upright. "Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about?"

"I just overheard Milly and Tamiya talking—guess what weird nightmare they both had last night."

Ulrich's face twisted in confusion. "What? But that doesn't make any sense. Why would Xana's plan affect anyone but us?"

"I'm not sure, but it definitely is." The others turning to follow the voice, Jeremie stepped forward. "Sorry I'm late, but I've been listening in on conversations all over the school. It seems like everyone had that exact same nightmare, but from what I can tell, everyone else only had it last night."

"I don't get it. What can Xana do with dreams?" Odd wondered aloud, "I mean, sure, he can creep people out, but how's he really going to attack like this?"

As the first bell rang, Jeremie shook his head. "I don't know, I'll have to look into it. Right now, on the other hand, it's time for chemistry."

Odd groaned as he picked himself up from the bench. "Speaking of nightmares..."

"Now, what I've drawn on the board shows a bent moloecular structure, like that of water molecules." Mrs. Hertz' voice droned on as she explained the power of intramoloecular attraction, unaware that all her student's minds were on the same thing she was secretly obsessing over—the great, glowing white Tower from last night's dream. All of her students, that is, except four. While everyone else puzzled over the meaning of the strange monolith, Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, and Sissi wondered why anyone else had seen it.

"It could be a side effect of something else..." Odd whispered, "...like maybe he's trying to read our minds or something like that?"

Jeremie shook his head, forehead wrinkling with forced concentration. "No, I don't think Xana would be that clumsy. More likely it was a test—to see how much he could control our perceptions."

Sissi leaned over from her adjacent table. "You mean he can control us? Take away our free will?"

"I don't think so...he probably attacked our dreams because our mental defenses are lowered when we're asleep. With only one Tower to control, he might not have enough power to influence our thoughts directly."

"Then what's he have to gain?" Ulrich wondered aloud.

As if in grisly response, a horrified shout rose from Mrs. Hertz. "What are you doing?" The group looked up, startled, and found that all eyes were not, as they expected, on them. The gazes of the students were drawn instead to Nicolas and his—until now—best friend.

Now, Herb was spread out on the tile floor, a horrified look of confusion filling his face as Nicolas raised his fist again. "Nicolas, stop this immediately!" Mrs. Hertz screamed. Nicolas glared around the room, eyes full of anger, and something else...fear? He turned back to his victim. Herb tried to speak, but Nicolas kicked him in the stomach before he could draw breath. "I won't let you hurt her!"" Nicolas screamed as he prepared his hand for another strike.

Herb crawled backwards, frightened of the boy he had always considered his friend. "What are you talking about, man? It's me! Herb!" Wordlessly, Nicolas picked up the limp form of his 'friend' and prepared to throw him on top of the lab table. Instead, he met with the full force of Ulrich's body as the taller boy drove his shoulder into Nicolas' side. Odd rushed forth, helping his friend restrain the raving lunatic who had been sitting quietly in his seat only minutes before.

Nicolas strained against his captors, wailing in anger as Ulrich and Odd held him back. "No! I won't let you hurt her!" Nicolas screamed.

"I won't let you hurt her, Xana!"

Laying the now-unconscious Nicolas out on the infirmary bed, Ulrich and Odd abandoned him to Dorothy's able hands and turned their attention to Jeremie, waiting outside the door. The bespectacled boy bit his lip, and as he looked up to meet his approaching friends, his eyes were set with the fire that overtook them when he had an idea.

Ulrich slouched against the wall nearest Jeremie. "all right, Jeremie, out with it."

Odd paced restlessly back and forth. "Yeah, come on. Whenever you get that look in your eyes, it means you're about to tell us something completely brilliant that we don't understand in the least. Spill it."

Jeremie shook his head. "Not here. Get Yumi and Sissi and meet me in the factory. If I'm right, we have to mobilize right now."

Ulrich nodded as he and Odd ran off in separate directions. As Jeremie headed toward the boiler room, Odd caught up with Sissi as she was about to enter math class, while Ulrich called Yumi, who was in the middle of history. Within five minutes, Odd and Sissi were underground, wordlessly racing to meet Jeremie.

Jeremie turned around as his friends entered the control room. "What happened? Where are Yumi and Ulrich?"

Odd shook his head, catching his breath. "I don't know. We didn't see them. But Jeremie, things have gotten pretty bad out there. People are fighting all over the place. What's going on?"

"all right, do you know how I said earlier that Xana could be affecting our dreams by using electrical signals to alter our perceptions?"

Odd squinted. "Uhh...sure..."

"Well, I think the dreams were just a test, and now I know for what. Once Xana figured out how to alter our perceptions in dreams, he used that knowledge to alter our perceptions while we were awake. From what I can tell, Nicolas actually thought he was protecting Aelita from Xana when he attacked Herb."

Sissi shook her head. "But then, why hasn't he tried to make us attack each other?"

"I think it's because we have conscious knowledge of Lyoko. That's why he kept it up for three nights with us—because he couldn't get through. But since none of the others know enough to disbelieve the 'illusions' Xana's sending out, people are starting to riot."

Odd started back toward the elevator, but Sissi stopped him. "Still," she wondered, "what does this accomplish? You know, besides mass panic?"

Odd dragged her toward the elevator. "I say we don't take the time to find out."

Sissi and Odd rode down toward the scanner room, Odd tapping his foot anxiously. As if sensing his concern, Jeremie spoke up as the two entered the cylindrical room."I'm trying to get in touch with Yumi and Ulrich, but neither one of them is answering. I wonder what's keeping them?"

Ulrich dodged a punch from a boy he recognized from soccer practice—his name was Matt. Before Ulrich could regain his footing, a girl he had never met pushed him from his feet, knocking the wind from his lungs with a sharp crack as he hit the pavement. Ulrich glanced over at Yumi, futilly running out from under Jim's massive, clumsy attempts to grab her. Ulrich was able to push one of his attackers back into another with his feet, while Yumi ducked over to help him to his feet. "Come on," she panted in the brief respite from the combat that had been escalating for the better part of ten minutes, "we have to get out of here, find somewhere to keep them contained."

Odd and Sissi each stepped up to a scanner. Sissi shot Odd a worried look as they climbed into the glowing tubes. Jeremie's voice flooded the room as he began the familiar countdown. "Transfer—Odd. Transfer—Sissi."

Staggering to his feet, Ulrich grabbed the wrist of a student who charged him and threw the boy into a column of advancing Xana-slaves.

"Scanner—Odd. Scanner—Sissi."

Yumi kicked one attacker in the side, but the opening left the oppurtunity for two others to grab her arms behind her back. Ulrich rushed forward to help the struggling girl, but stars exploded in front of his eyes as Sandra's fist caught him in the cheek.

"Virtualization."

Odd and Sissi landed on the slick white surface of Lyoko's Polar Region. Aelita advanced from behind, and the three awaited to receive the location of the infected Tower from Jeremie.

Vision still spinning, Ulrich barely managed to parry Herb's manic kick in his direction. "Sorry about this, Herb..." Ulrich grunted as he grabbed the boy's ankle, flipping him onto his back, "...I know you've suffered enough today!"

Yumi still struggled as Theo, uncompromising hatred in his eyes, advanced on her, fists clenched. Twisting her arms against their captors, Yumi's feet caught the boy in the chest, sending him flopping limply back to land prostrate beside Ulrich.

Odd shook his head, lifting himself as the mild electrical shock of laser damage played across his left arm. Sissi had taken out the first Hornet easily, but one of the other two had aimed at Aelita—Odd had only just managed to block the pulsing red laser. "Laser Arrow!" Gritting his teeth, Odd fired two arrows toward the remaining bugs, shattering one into dust. "Aelita, what happened to Sissi, where is she?"

Odd's question was answered as the black-clad girl blurred into vision above the last monster, a well-timed shuriken sending its pieces scattering.

"Good job guys," Jeremie said from the control room, "the Tower's about sixteen degrees west of your current position." The three raced off toward the vague outline of the red, glowing monolith in the distance.

The two raced off toward the shelter of the science building, a mob of brainwahsed students and faculty clomping along after them. The sea of flesh chanted, in unison, "You can't hurt Aelita!" Grimmacing past the pain in his head and the irony of the whole situation, Ulrich picked up speed as Yumi lunged for the door.

"Did I mention the part where this plan wasn't going to work?" Ulrich shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the zombie-like chanting from outside. As he yelled in Yumi's direction, he strained his back against the buckling surface of the science building's front door.

Yumi slammed her back into the other set of doors as the army outside continued to pound against it. "If you have a better idea, I'm open to suggestions!"

Ulrich's reply was cut short as Jim's fist, bloodied from beating against the door, smashed through the glass. Screaming in shock, Ulrich fell away from the door as Jim's bleeding arm worked toward the latch. "Come on, we have to get to the roof!" Ulrich grabbed Yumi's arm as the surging tide began to beat open the glass-plated doors.

Odd had thought things were going relatively well. That was, of course, before the Megatank had appeared. Now, Sissi was devirtualized, and Odd was firing pot-shots at the spherical monster as he and Aelita raced down a narrow bridge toward the Tower. Jeremie's voice thrummed through Odd's head, reinforcing his sense of urgency. "Odd, watch it, you only have twenty Lifepoints left. If it hits you, Aelita will be defenseless."

Grabbing Aelita, Odd dove to the right, narrowly missing the massive laser wall the 'tank sent his way. "Jeremie, how many Arrows do I have?"

"I already loaded your auxiliary supply. You only have eight left."

Grimacing, Odd took a shot at the monster's exposed target, but it closed its shell too quickly, causing the golden arrowhead to bounce harmlessly away. "Aelita, we have to move now!"

"But there's nowhere to go!" Yumi screamed as she and Ulrich thundered up the buildings enameld steps.

"I know," Ulrich panted, "but it'll give us time. We just have to have faith that Odd and Sissi can get to the Tower before..." Yumi shot him a glance, fear and defiance mingling in her eyes, "...before things get any worse."

Odd and Aelita ran along the shallow ditch bordering the bridge, the thin rime of the Glacier hiding the dangerous waters of the Digital Void just beneath them. "Odd, you're crazy!" Aelita gasped.

Odd smiled. "That's never stopped me before! Besides, that Megatank can't follow us down here, it's too heavy, it would fall in."

Aelita stopped. "Odd, that's it!" Aelita spun around, kneeling on the frozen ground as Odd stood, arm readied to fire if Aelita's plan failed. The ground around Aelita began to buckle, and the 'tank, unable to keep traction with its slick metal surface, wobbled, then slid off onto the brittle ice that covered the distance between islands in the Polar Region. "Come on, Odd, we have to go!"

Odd spun around as Aelita grabbed his arm. "Why?" As Odd spoke, the ice behind him began to break apart, the Megatank's weight sending tiny cracks throughout the surface.

"That's why."

As Odd and Aelita ran along the quickly collapsing bridge toward the Tower, Ulrich and Yumi could run no farther. Slamming and bolting the door behind them, Ulrich paused on the rooftop to catch his breath. "That should hold them for a while. Now I just hope Jeremie and the others are having better luck than we are." As the door shuddered under the weight of the first aggressor, Ulrich and Yumi fled to the far edge of the roof, their strength finally giving out. His legs crumbling beneath him, Ulrich cradled Yumi in his arms, her face hot against his. Both their eyes focused on the gradually yielding doorway sticking out of the desolate rooftop.

Diving toward the sturdy island that housed the activated Tower, Odd grabbed the edge just as the last of the bridge fell away to the digital sea far beneath him. "all right, Aelita, go!" Odd grunted, hoisting himself up onto the plateau. Nodding, Aelita ran toward the monolith, allowing herself to melt into its surface and enter the sterile blue interior.

Finally breaking through the rusted lock, the first of Xana's army bared her teeth, stalking toward her victims.

"Sweet dreams, Xana!"

Jeremie sighed as he input the return coordinates. "Return to the past, now!"

Sissi awoke with a start, roused by the soft beeping of her mobile phone from across the room. Looking at the blinking text message she smiled. Slipping on her fuzzy pink robe, she padded to Jeremie's room, turning the latch effortlessly this time. As she entered, Jeremie smiled, turning his attention from the glow of the monitor. Odd and Ulrich glanced up, then continued playing cards. "So," Odd asked, "any nightmares yet?"

Sissi smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed nearest Jeremie. "Nothing. Guess we did it."

Ulrich stifled a chuckle. "Don't be so modest, Odd. You still had a nightmare tonight."

Odd blushed. "What? No...no I didn't. I don't know what you're talking about."

Sissi's eyebrow arched in curiousity. "Oh, come on, Odd. I think I want to hear this."

Ulrich set down his cards. "Well, according to what he said about fifteen minutes ago, he was in the middle of science class, and Ms. hertz asks him a question. So he stands up, and it's only then that he realizes he's wearing..."

Odd jumped on his friend, slapping his hand over the giggling boy's mouth.

Sissi smiled. "What, Odd, what were you wearing?"

Odd's face turned bright red. "What? I mean...nothing!"

Sissi's other eyebrow rose.

"Wait! Oh, no, I mean...nothing special—"

Sissi laughed out loud, Jeremie and Ulrich echoing her chortles. Odd scowled, punching Ulrich in the arm. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, flyboy—Gin!"

Ulrich wiped the tears from his eyes, still chuckling. "Odd—we're playing Uno."

The laughter emenating from Jeremie's room would have woken the entire floor—but, fortunately, everyone was very soundly asleep. Whether they realized it or not, they'd had a very busy day.


End file.
